We explain to you what are the risks and dangers that arise from social networks, in emotional, social and security aspects.
Risks and dangers of social networks
Social networks are digital spaces for exchange and social recreation. In them, a diverse number of users share messages, photographs, videos and other types of multimedia material, according to pre-established communication criteria, thus forming a more or less open virtual community.
All Social networks are based on the principle of six degrees of separation which dictates how all human beings are connected in one way or another based on the connection we have with a friend, relative or acquaintance, this with another relative or acquaintance, and so on up to the six degrees of deferral.
This same principle, taken to cyberspace, gained prominence since the massification of the Internet and the appearance in 1995 of the classmates.com site, which offered the possibility of connecting with old classmates from school, university, etc. This is considered the first social network in the history of the Internet.
But social networks have evolved a lot since then, as has the Internet. Smartphones integrated social networks into other aspects of our lives. In fact, the use of these phones exceeds telephone communications: they are tools for reading, payment, socialization, etc. The possibilities that this technology entails are endless.
Consequently, together With the flourishing of social networks, new risks and dangers also emerged which we will review separately below, classifying them based on the type of danger that each one entails.
Privacy risks on social networks
One of the great drawbacks of the Internet and especially social networks is the ease with which private or confidential information can become public or fall into the wrong hands.
From data as simple as location (recorded by cell phone or any device equipped with GPS), age, address of our work, school or home, to much more sensitive data such as our credit card number (or that of our parents), our telephone number or bank account number, all can be intercepted.
Theft of information they can do them hackers or unscrupulous users posing as friends or intercept messages intended for third parties. In other cases, the information is obtained through fraudulent sales, donation campaigns, or deceptive offers.
Something similar happens with intimate material (such as nude photographs or erotic messages), which, although intended for a specific user and not to be freely disclosed, can be made public or sold on pornography pages, without the consent of the person who issued them. believing themselves safe in the privacy of a direct message.
The general advice to avoid these situations is to manage private information with an alert criterion: know that our information can be used for harmful purposes and that not everyone who uses social networks does so for the same purpose.
Do not accept requests from any type of strangers or mysterious, nor ever provide sensitive information in response to offers that seem too good to be true. Erase sensitive private information or encrypt it behind strong passwords, which will need to be renewed every so often.
In the case of minors, it is necessary to educate them about it and teach them that, although they seem like a safe place, social networks are as dangerous as a lonely street or square.
Security risks on social networks
Contact through social networks It is as unsafe as contact with complete strangers on the street because the profiles are private and we cannot always have access to the information of who is on the other side of the screen. Making dates with strangers, informal economic transactions are risky behaviors on social networks.
A case of special vulnerability is represented by minors who may see social networks as an environment free of parental supervision to voluntarily or involuntarily expose themselves to the reach of strangers, or access sensitive or illegal material that they later do not know how to handle on their own.
He malwaremalicious programs and scammers abound on social networks. A simple way to avoid them is always apply a rational criterion to the interaction.
For example, if a beautiful Thai girl writes to you out of the blue to tell you that you have been elected in a contest in which you did not participate, and that you will win a fortune in exchange for revealing your banking details, it is most likely a scam. scam.
Emotional risks on social networks
The impact of social networks on our emotions is a controversial topic that is studied a lot today. It has been studied that networks forge a kind of addiction encouraging its use through subliminal rewards. It is known as the “hit of dopamine” to the effect that its notifications produce in the brain, similar to what drugs induce in the addict's mind.
On the other hand, the use of social networks It can negatively affect our self-esteem, associated with competition for group approval. Social networks expose a world of popularity, happiness, intensity or success that rarely corresponds to the real lives of its users.
The unspoken message is always one of lack: everyone has thousands of friends except you, everyone is very successful except you, everyone is happy except you. The paradoxical effect of this is to depress the user and encourage him to compensate for this feeling with frenetic online activity, devoting more life to social networks than to his own real life, and therefore reproducing the cycle of sadness.
On the other hand, the algorithms that govern social networks pursue the greatest number of interactions possible, based on a deep analysis of the data entered by the user themselves: every time we interact with an entry on social networks, we are telling the algorithm that Show us more similar content.
The effect in the long run is that of an echo chamber, in which we only consume opinions similar to ours and we reinforce the idea that those who are not in our select ring are nothing short of idiots. Thus, social networks have become a place full of radical opinions and a lot of extremism, regarding politics, religion and other controversial topics.
Call consumption fake news or fake news is also an example of this toxic content, which contributes only to misinforming, spreading rumors or delusional ideas, radicalizing the opinion held on a topic and, in the long run, emotionally impoverishing the most vulnerable users.
Risks of socialization on social networks
Social alienation is another major risk in using social media. There are people whose virtual life is much richer than their real life or who live a kind of alternate experience (an alter-ego) on social networks.
Thus, crucial aspects of their real life are neglected, such as productivity at work, study, interpersonal relationships in their family, etc. In many cases, social media should be treated like an addiction and some professional psychological counseling may be necessary.
Continue with: Information Society
References
- “Social network” on Wikipedia.
- “What is the most harmful social network for young people?” on CNN Spanish.
- “Privacy, Security & Health Risks of Social Media & How to Prevent Those” in Websols.
- “Social media” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
